


Slowtember 2020

by huliganships



Category: One Piece
Genre: Angst, Chapter 1, Chapter 3, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Character Study, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Just soft lesbians, M/M, No new tags, One Shot Collection, Slowtember 2020, a bit of Hurt/Comfort and Fluff, chapter 2, chapter 4, chapter 5, chapter 6, chapter 7, just fluffy frobin, just pure fluff, no new tags here, no warnings necessary
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:41:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26256562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/huliganships/pseuds/huliganships
Summary: A writing challenge for the month of September.Every chapter is an unconnected One-Shot.
Relationships: Franky/Nico Robin, Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco/Portgas D. Ace, Koala/Sabo (One Piece), Monkey D. Luffy & Portgas D. Ace & Sabo, Monkey D. Luffy/Roronoa Zoro, Monkey D. Luffy/Trafalgar D. Water Law, Nami/Nefertari Vivi, Roronoa Zoro/Vinsmoke Sanji
Comments: 31
Kudos: 109





	1. Day 1-3 || chill || MarAce

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, my Lovelies!  
> I'm back with a writing challenge for the month of September. The challenge is meant for drawings, but since I can't do that me and a few friends decided to do it in writing instead. The creator of this challenge is the lovely [megaelod](https://twitter.com/megaelod) on twitter. You just totally check her out an give her your love and support!  
> [This is the post with the list of Slowtember](https://twitter.com/megaelod/status/1299348851405590528) if you want to know how it works and what the rest of the month has in store for you.  
> Lots of love xxx
> 
> P.S. As a side note, i picked the pairings randomly and will do every Main pairing only once :)

Marco had to read the text message three times, just to make sure he hadn’t misunderstood. But there it was, clear as day on the screen of his phone

**From: Ace**

**(12:24)** _hey, you busy tonight? wanna netflix and chill? :D_

Marco couldn’t believe his eyes. This was it. This was really happening. After all this time of him trying to subtly let Ace know that he would be down for being more than just friends, his prayers had finally been answered. Hah, take that Thatch! So much for being stuck in the friendzone.

But that meant he only had about seven hours left to make a plan on how he wanted to handle this. He normally prided himself in being calm and collected but he couldn’t help himself and feel a bit nervous and a lot excited.

Between his work in the hospital and his time spent with pops down at the garage, Marco hadn’t had much time for dating in his life. On top of that he never really met any people that immediately grabbed his interest.

Ace had been different from the start. Right from the moment where he crashed their party and demanded a race with the old man to let everyone know who was the best racer around these parts. He had kept coming back and had proven his talent and tenaciousness. It also helped that he was hot as fuck and often decided to only wear an unbuttoned shirt, so that his abs were on full, glorious display.

Time seemed to fly by that day and before he knew it he was knocking on the door of the apartment that Ace lived in with his brothers. The door opened and Marco had a hard time keeping a straight face. In front of him stood Ace, barefoot, wearing a very loose tank crop top and low hanging sweatpants. He looked very comfortable, ready to relax and good enough to eat. Marco immediately felt overdressed for the occasion with his button down and tight jeans.

"Hey!" Ace greeted him with a bright grin. "Come in. You can leave your shoes by the door. Or keep them on, whatever works for you, we don't really care about that." Marco nodded and kneeled to take them off.

When he straightened up again he lifted the plastic bag in his hand.

"I brought some snacks," he said. If he had learned one sure fire way to get into Ace's good graces it was giving him foot. Sure enough the eyes of the other man lit up like stars and he made grabby hands at the bag.

"And that's why you're my favorite!" Marco felt warmth gather in his belly, but he refused to let it show on his face. He refused. He was supposed to be the calm and collected guy here for god's sake!

"I thought I was your favorite!" came a voice from behind Ace just before his younger brother stepped into the hallway.

"You are my favorite little brother, he's my favorite friend." Ace reached out a hand and ruffled Luffy's hair.

"Yo Luffy," Marco greeted with a wave.

"Hey Pineapple head," Luffy answered before grabbing the bag of food. "Thanks for the snacks." And with that he turned and disappeared into the living room.

"Luffy's going to join us for the movie. I hope you don't mind," Ace said, still grinning brightly. Marco could only blink.

"Uhm, sure, I guess." The other thing he had learned about Ace: If you were mean to his brother you would get a fist to the face faster than you could blink. He followed Ace into the living room and took a seat on the couch while the two brothers started to argue over what to watch.

Slowly but surely something dawned on him: This was a regular movie night and when Ace had asked him to 'netflix and chill' he probably had no idea what that meant. He let the crushing disappointment push him further into the couch and he resigned himself to his fate.

A threw a look over to where Ace and his brother were playfully wrestling for the remote and felt another wave of warmth course through him. Well, it wasn't so bad. He still got to hang out with one of the people he liked the most. So he shrugged off his jacket and reached over the two men to snag the remote for himself.

Over the sound of twin protests he said: "Since I'm the guest, I get to pick the movie." After a bit more grumbling the brothers relented and they started the movie. Marco found he genuinely had fun. Ace and Luffy were the kind of people who would yell at the TV and provide you with a running commentary through the entire movie. Some folks hated that kind of behaviour, but Marco loved it. After a while Luffy, who was sitting on the floor in front of the TV, leaned back against Marco's legs. He looked up at him from his seat on the floor.

"'s cool, right?" Marco shrugged.

"Knock yourself out kiddo." Luffy frowned up at him.

"Mean! I'm 19, I'm not a kid anymore!"

"Well," Marco answered in his best patronizing voice. "I'm 27, so to me you're like an infant." The only response he got was Luffy poking out his tongue at him before focusing back on the TV. Next to him Ace beamed at him. All in all Marco felt warm and content.

After a while Ace shifted and leaned on him.

"You're warm," he said as an explanation which was endorsed by Luffy who snuggled himself even more against his legs.

"If you're cold, you could wear an actual shirt you know? Just an idea." The look Ace gave him at that would be more fitting if Marco had suggested he Ace should try eating dog shit.

They stayed that way until somewhere a phone pinged. From his place on the floor Luffy reached up to the coffee table and grabbed his phone and checked his messages. Suddenly he jumped up and ran from the room.

"Torao's got out of work early!" he shouted over his shoulder as he slipped his shoes on. "I'm gonna see him now."

"I see how it is," Ace said, standing up and pushing his hands into his hips. He looked a bit like a scolding mother that way. Marco had to suppress a giggle. "As soon as your creepy boyfriend calls you you drop me like a hot potato."

"I would never drop a hot potato Ace!" Luffy's face was scandalized. "I wouldn't waste food like that! Well, I'm off, see you tomorrow!" And with that he was out of the door and gone.

Ace sighed before dropping back on the couch. He took Marcos' arm and lifted it around himself.

"Cuddle me," he demanded with a pout that went straight to Marco's dick. Carefully he wrapped his arm around Ace's shoulder and pulled him closer to cuddle. _Respectfully_ of course. They stayed like this for a few more minutes before Ace spoke up again.

"Wanna make out?" he said in a casual voice. Marco almost choked. With wide eyes he looked down at the dark-haired man in his arms.

"W-what?" he asked, slightly out of breath.

"Well, I did invite you to Netflix and chill," Ace said with a smug expression and wiggled his eyebrows at Marco who couldn't help but let out a laugh.

"You little shit," he answered and pulled Ace closer. With a grin the younger man threw a leg over Marco and straddled his lap. Just before their lips connected Marcos thought to himself how he wouldn't mind to chill with the other more often.


	2. Day 4-6 || water || ZoLu

Zoro never had any strong feelings about the ocean before. Sure, it could be intimidating and dangerous, but so could Zoro. He was a very strong swimmer and his swords were sharp enough to deal with anything that could be thrown his way.

That changed after he had met Luffy.

The young boy was an enigma. At first glance he seemed like a dumb, happy go lucky kid without a care in the world, pretending at being a pirate. No regard for rules or his own safety his barreled into Zoro’s life and overthrew everything, making him rethink his life and what he wanted to do.

What had started out as an alliance out of necessity had morphed into respect and friendship and later on into even more. They hadn’t put a name on it, but they knew what they were to each other and that was enough. Luffy was his captain, the man who would become pirate king and the only person who could make Zoro experience true fear.

Because for as invincible he seemed in everything he did, with every fight that he won, there was one thing he couldn’t overcome, one enemy he would never be able to beat. And that was the one thing that Luffy loved as much as he did Zoro.

The swordsman let his single eye linger on the lithe figure lounging on top of the sunny’s head. He was enjoying the sun and napping the afternoon away after he hearty lunch and fun day filled with silly games that Usopp had made up. Zoro would never fully understand the other and that was alright. But sometimes, just sometimes, he wished his captain would feel a bit of fear.

Not enough to change him, but maybe enough to not sleep in a place like this, only a hair’s breadth away from the one thing that could kill him without remorse. He let his gaze wander from Luffy down to the endless blue waves that allowed them their journey and gave them their freedom.

He was ripped out of his thoughts by a loud explosion coming from the belly of their ship. The whole deck shook like an earthquake on land and Zoro lost his footing. All around him things fell to the floor. Further back on the ship he could see Nami, who had been coming down the steps, take a tumble down to the floor.

Above her, Chopper let out a yell and dived after her, transforming into one of his larger, fluffier forms and pulling her into his arms to keep her from the potential harm of the fall. Robin who had been reading her book was being steadied by Franky, whose larger frame and a lower center of gravity helped him to keep on standing. He could hear the cook curse from inside of the kitchen, his loud voice carrying out through the open door.

A trapdoor leading down into the bowels of the sunny opened and a black cloud of smoke emerged, followed by a blackened and soot-covered Usopp, who was coughing furiously. He crawled out of the opening and collapsed onto the grassy deck of the Sunny. Chopper who was still cradling Nami in his arms let out a shrill panicked yell and made his way over to him.

“Usopp! Are you all right? What happened?” the doctor demanded to know while he examined Usopp’s body for burn wounds and tried helping him clear his airways of the burning smoke.

“What the hell did you do to my ship?” Franky cried out, frantically trying to look down into the still open trapdoor. The cloud of black smoke had dissipated, but there was still a fair amount of lighter colored smoke coming out of the hole. 

Zoro was pretty confident that the ship wasn’t about to sink, so he turned back towards Luffy to see if the captain was alright.

But Luffy wasn’t there anymore.

Feeling a spike of panic course through him, he looked around the deck, in case Luffy had catapulted himself over to see what the commotion was all about, but he was disappointed. He ran over to the figurehead to make sure he really wasn’t there. On his way over he caught a glance down at the water.

A few paces behind the Sunny there was a spot of unrest in the waves. Almost as if something or someone had been dropped in. Without thinking, Zoro threw off his swords and dived off the boat. There was no time to notify the others, no time for anything else but the thought of  _ Luffy is drowning _ in his head.

His body breached the cold, salty water and he started swimming down. He thanked whatever higher power there was that Usopp decided to tinker in the middle of the day when the sun was high and gave him a good amount of visibility. He frantically searched around for a hint of red, of someone moving and stirring up the water.

The farther down he swam and the darker and deeper it got his panic and fear climbed higher and higher until it almost felt like his chest was imploding. Even so, that could also be the desperate need to take in air again.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity Zoro saw him. He had one of his hands pressed over his mouth to avoid losing air and the other holding down his hat as to not lose it, his eyes tightly closed against the stinging salt all around him. Zoro reached out a hand and grabbed him at his clothing and pulled. The eyes of his captain flew open and locked with Zoro’s and for a second he knew everything would be okay.

That was before he tried to make his way back towards the surface. Luffy had sunken down quite far and despite what many marines and pirates alike thought, Zoro was only human. His lungs could only hold on for so long before craving oxygen again. Still, he kicked out with as much force as he could, using his one arm that wasn’t wrapped around his captain, who suddenly seemed to weigh a ton, to try and make his way towards the surface. 

The process was slow going, made even harder through the current that had been so helpful in propelling the Sunny forward but was now his greatest enemy, trying to pull them down towards the ocean floor. His lungs were burning, his arms were feeling like they were filled with lead and his legs were protesting. But the precious cargo in his arms was still warm and reminded him of what he would lose if he didn’t make it back to the sun. So he gritted his teeth and kept on pushing.

His hands broke the surface, shortly before his head did. Even before he himself took a breath he tugged Luffy’s head above the water. Luffy’s arms wrapped around his neck, while his own hands settled on Luffy’s waist, his legs keeping both of them afloat. Further away from them he could make out Nami coming closer on her scooter. She or someone else had probably noticed Zoro jumping and connected the dots.

He turned his head back towards Luffy and their eyes met. His captain gave him a bright grin and a laugh.

“Thanks, Zoro! That was a close one! Why did the Sunny shake so much all of a sudden?” But Zoro couldn’t answer him. The heady mix of panic, fear, and adrenaline was still coursing through his blood, making his heart race and his eyes sting. When he tried to answer the only thing coming out of his mouth was a choked up sound.

He pulled his arms tighter around the younger man and buried his face in Luffy’s neck, his body still shaking slightly from the what-ifs flashing through his mind. He couldn’t quite understand his reaction. They had weathered far worse and made it out on the other side. Luffy had fallen into the ocean countless times and it had never affected him like this.

Maybe it was the fact that it was the first time after their two years apart. maybe it was the fact that it was the first time since their relationship had changed. Whatever it was, the thought alone was now enough to make his stomach lurch in fear.

A gentle hand was stroking through his hair and a pair of wet lips were pressing against his cheek.

“Thank you for saving me.” Luffy’s voice was oddly serious, a stark contrast to his earlier cheeriness when they had resurfaced. Almost as if he could sense just how shaken up Zoro was from this whole ordeal and wanted to calm him down. 

Idiot. Zoro wasn’t the one who had almost drowned.

While Nami was pulling the onto her scooter, berating Luffy for being careless and threatening to let him drown the next time Zoro let his gaze linger on the deep, dark ocean water all around him.

Zoro had never been afraid of the ocean. He was a strong swimmer and knew how to handle himself. But now he had something to lose. And that suddenly made the water the scariest place he could ever be.


	3. Day 7-9 || house || LawLu

Law had learned at a young age that a house didn't equal a home. The first house he had lived in with his parents and his sister had been a home. They had been a perfect, happy family.

Until they weren't anymore.

The next house he had lived in was most definitely not a home, no matter what the workers at the orphanage told them and wanted the public to believe. He didn't stay there for very long. After that he hadn't lived in a house at all for a while, but he still prefered the alleys and cardboard boxes over going back into the system.

The next house he lived in wasn't a home either and it most definitely wasn't a place for children. But Doflamingo protected him, gave him a warm place to sleep and food in his belly. He sent Law back to school, bought him books and clothes and paid for his doctors visits. So even though it wasn't a home it was better than the alternative and if staying there meant doing a few things he didn't want to do then that was fine.

After that came the first time in very, very long that he had a home. It was also at that time that he truly understood that home and house weren't the same. Working the job he was Cora was traveling a lot, never staying long in a lot of places. But after meeting Law he never traveled alone again. Law began homeschooling and learned which hostels and hotels one could go to and which ones were better to avoid. But for the first time he was happy again.

After that came college. The dorms were no home, but Cora was still around and staying still for a while gave him the opportunity to make friends for the first time in his life. Penguin and Shachi quickly became his second home, even though he would never tell them that.

They stuck together even after college, opting to take jobs in the same city and sharing an apartment. Cora was still travelling due to his job but he was dropping by frequently or just calling to check up on Law.

So yes, Law knew a home wasn't a house. He never had any attachment to any place before, only to a person. Even the apartments he lived in with Shachi and Penguins were just that, places he lived in.

Now Law had a new home, a new person that he could call his own. A whirlwind of a man that had literally crashed into his life and carved out a space for himself and refused to leave. In a short amount of time he had changed Law's world completely.

It was 5 am when Law pulled into parking space in front of his house. The driveway was filled with different cars but his spot was always kept empty. He closed the door behind him quietly, not wanting to wake any of the occupants of the house.

He silently opened the front door and stepped inside quickly. As soon as he stepped a foot inside there was a big, white ball of fluff rubbing against his legs. Bepo looked up at him with big eyes and let out a soft 'Meow'.

He kneeled down and spent the next few minutes giving his cat the love and attention it deserved. He took off his shoes and put them next to the dozen pairs cluttered all over their entrance. There was still a faint light coming from the living room when he walked past so he opened the door a bit wider and stepped in. Penguin and Shachi were sitting on the couch and were locked in a furious, completely silent battle of Mario Kart. He could see them shoving at each other in trying to gain the upper hand, but no noise came from them. He walked around the couch and into their field of vision.

"Are you awake again or are you still up from yesterday?"

Without taking their eyes off the screen they whispered "Still up" in unison before going back to ignoring him. He rolled his eyes but didn't say anything. He was the last person who was allowed to scold them about their sleeping habits. He continued on his way through the house. He could see light in the kitchen but he opted to use the bathroom first and maybe change out of his work clothes.

He opened the door to their bedroom and looked at the bed. It was occupied by a huge mass of blankets and pillows that weren't used at all, because Luffy was just starfishing all across the bed laying atop of the blankets. Law knew most of them were there for his own benefit but seeing his boyfriend sleeping like that still filled him with confusion. He was sure if he had too Luffy had no problem with sleeping on the floor too.

As quickly and quietly as he could Law changed into a pair of sweatpants and a loose hoodie before leaving again. Knowing his boyfriend he hadn't been in bed before 3 AM so he wanted to let him sleep as long as he could.

He walked back to the kitchen and before he even entered it he could already smell the heavenly scent of fresh coffee. Following the tantalizing smell he found Sanji standing at the counter cutting up vegetables. The blond man looked up and gave him a lazy wave with the knife.

"Yo. Coffee's ready," he said and gestured to a steaming cup standing on the breakfast bar. Eagerly Law grabbed the cup and took a seat. For the first few minutes there was silence, only interrupted by the quiet cutting sounds of Sanji. The blond man had long ago given up on trying to get Law to quit drinking quite so much coffee and they had reached an understanding.

"Why are you awake already?" Law asked, the coffee mug resting against his chin. "If I had to guess you all went to bed pretty late, if at all." He gestured with the hand not holding the mug towards the living room. Sanji shrugged.

"I'm used to keeping odd hours with the restaurant and I knew you would probably not have eaten anything yet." He threw the cut up vegetables into a sizzling pan on the stove and added a few eggs into the mix. Law smiled, a feeling of fondness curling up in his stomach and lifted his mug for another sip of coffee.

"Thank you," he simply said before falling back into silence. After a few minutes a plate with an omelette was placed in front of him. With one last nod in his direction Sanji left the kitchen, probably on his way back to bed.

Just as he started eating he heard a shuffling sound behind him before a pair of arms wrapped around him. A head dropped onto his shoulder and someone yawned into his ear.

"Welcome home Torao~," Luffy said in a tired voice, his eyelids still drooping.

"I'm home," Law replied before turning his head and pressing a soft kiss to Luffy's cheek. That earned him a small smile and a squeeze around his waist.

"Did I wake you?" he asked as he started cutting up his food and eating. Luffy let out a sleepy hum and shrugged his shoulders. Law reached up with his fork and let him have a bite of his food.

"Thanks," he murmured. "You didn't really wake me. I heard something and hoped it was you so I came to check. And I smelled food."

"Of course you did." Law couldn't help but smile at that. "Want some more?" Luffy shook his head.

"You need to eat more."

"I do not."

"You do."

"Do not."

"Do too." The smile on Luffy's face was looking ridiculous. Law knew he wasn't looking any better. With a fake defeated sigh he shoveled another piece of food into his mouth.

"You should go back to bed. I'll join you in a bit." Luffy's arms tightened around him.

"I'll wait. Knowing you, you'll get distracted again and forget to sleep."

"You don't have to."

"I want to. I missed you." And what else could Law do but kiss him again for that?

Law had learned early in his life that a house didn't equal a home. A home was made up of people who loved and accepted you for who you are and somewhere you could always return too. But now that he had both of these things combined? This was what true happiness had to be.


	4. Day 10-12 || magic || ZoSan

Sanji had seen a lot of weird people. It came with the profession probably. Being a professional witch did have its perks but also its downside. Attracting a bunch of weirdos was one of them.

When he was growing up the only thing he was taught about magic was how to hurt people with it. That had never sat well with him. Magic could do so many wonderful things, why would you use it to hurt someone? That's why he decided to run away and find a way to explore ways to help others.

And that was how he got here. This shop belonged to Zeff, an old, grumpy witch who was specialized in potion making and who taught everything he knew to Sanji. Right now he was on a long journey to find some kind of legendary ingredient and Sanji had been left behind to deal with the shop and all the whacky customers it attracted.

The shop was small and a bit cramped completely stuffed full with all kinds of magical nicknacks and ingredients used for potions and spells. Twinkling crystals enchanted with protective wards floated through the air and filled the whole room with a sense of safety and mystery at the same time. Many different plants, magical and non-magical alike, were growing in pots all around the shop.

Sanji loved it.

He was busying himself with cleaning the shelves and shooing away the family of dust fairies that tried to build a nest on one of the higher ones. As cute as they were as soon as they had settled down they reproduced like crazy and you had a hard time getting rid of them without harsher methods, like fire. And Sanji didn’t want to be forced to set fire to the shop.

Again.

Though to be fair, the last time hadn’t been entirely his fault. Luffy had brought both of his pyromantic brothers with him and things had gotten out of hand. Another example of strange customers, even though Sanji rather liked them.

The bell over their door chimed and Sanji thought to himself 'Speak of the Devil'. With his well-practiced customer smile, he turned around.

"Welcome! How can I help you?" The guy in front of him was wearing dark green pants, a white shirt, and some kind of green waistband which was used to fasten three swords. His hair was covered in a short, kind of a shaggy mess of green hair that reminded Sanji of grass or moss.

"You're buying magic items, right?" the guy asked without preamble, ignoring Sanji's greeting entirely. Slightly annoyed he answered him.

"Sure, if what you have is any good. We're not a dumping ground for every slightly magic crap one can find." Mosshead nodded in understanding and opened the bag he had slung over his shoulder. He produced a set of dark black, curled horns thicker than Sanji's thigh and longer than his arm.

"Where the hell did you get those?!" he wanted to know, already leaning closer and inspecting the horns. They belonged to a Goldhorn, a kind of chimera that channeled lightning through their horns. They were extremely dangerous and it was rare to find these kinds of artifacts.

“Cut them of the thing that attacked me.” Mosshead shrugged his shoulders as if what he had done wasn’t a very big deal. “I was just minding my own business when that giant sheep thing came out of nowhere and tried to hit me with its lightning.”

“A Goldhorn rarely leaves his mountains,” Sanji said, still flabbergasted. “How did you just randomly stumble upon one?”

“I was up on a mountain when it attacked me.”

“Why would you go up there?!”

“I go where I want!”

“But it’s dangerous!”

“Well, can’t be that dangerous. This thing barely put up a fight.” Sanji highly doubted that but choose not to make another comment. He wanted those horns and if he managed to piss off the other man maybe he wouldn’t sell them to him.

“Whatever,” the blond replied after a few seconds. “What do you want for them?”

“Do you have some food? I ran out.” Sanji blinked.

“You want food? That’s all?”

“I mean, I wouldn’t say no to money either, but I’m hungry.” As if to support his claim, the stomach of the green-haired man rumbled loudly in the awkward silence that had settled between the two. Sanji couldn’t help himself from snorting loudly, before turning around towards the fire pit at the back of the shop where a big cauldron was bubbling. Most of the time it was used for potions or cooking, today being a day for the later.

“I have some soup on the stove. Take a seat over there at the counter, I’ll bring you some.” He filled one of their bowls with the mushroom soup he had prepared earlier that day. He had the habit of always making too much anyway and ended up sharing it with their neighbors or with Luffy when he decided to drop by, so it wasn’t a big deal to give some to their customer. Especially if he really had fought a Goldhorn. That was pretty impressive.

He returned to the counter and placed the bowl in front of the green-haired man.

“Here, enjoy.”

“Thanks.” The man started eating but immediately stopped after the first bite and closed his eyes. Sanji frowned.

“What is it? Is it not good?”

“This is the best food I’ve ever eaten.” The other man snapped his eyes open and pinned Sanji with an intensely serious look in his eyes. “Did you make this?” Sanji could feel his face flushing in pleasure.

“I did, yeah. I’m glad you like it.” He got a serious nod in return before the swordman started eating again, his eyes blissfully closed while savoring the food. Faster then Sanji had anticipated the bowl was empty again. 

“Want another one?” 

In the end, Sanji ended up giving him three refills and forced him to take some money for the horns because he would never let someone walk out of his shop hungry if he could help it. The swordsman left with the promise to come by again if he found another magical artifact. Only after he was gone did Sanji realize that he never got the other’s name.

With a small smile, he went back to shooing away the dust fairies. Even though he had to deal with some really shitty people who were demanding impossible or nasty potions from him he couldn’t help but look forward to seeing this one again. He hoped he didn’t have to wait for quite so long for that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not really happy with how this turned out, but I love the idea! So I'll probably rework it a bit and turn it in an OS of its own, outside of this collection. But I don't know when that'll be. I do hope you still liked it, though!


	5. Day 13-15 || animal || Chopper

Chopper had been called a lot of names in his life.

Reindeer. Animal. Monster. Freak. Pet.

But the one he liked best, next to his name, was Doctor. That one was responsible for all these other names to fade away and not bother him as much anymore. He didn't care that some people didn't understand him. That was fine. Some days Chopper didn't understand himself either.

If someone asked he used to tell them he was a reindeer. In his darker times he would tell them he was a monster. But now he was only a doctor. He wanted to make sure that he could treat people when they needed it and he wanted to protect his friends.

He knew who he was and who he wanted to be. But still sometimes he couldn't help but wonder. When he watched his friends dance around issues that were as clear as day to Chopper. He knew why Zoro and Sanji were acting that way around each other even though they didn't seem to have a clue. It was all right there in their scents.

Sometimes there was such a strong sense of sadness coming off of Luffy that Chopper had to hold back his own tears, but no one else seemed to notice.

Chopper knew there were wounds that he couldn't heal yet but he would give his best and try. He tried to get Sanji and Zoro to talk about their feelings but that ended in a lot of yelling. But he wouldn't be deterred! He kept pushing the two into situations together.

He needed something from the markets but couldn't leave the medicine he was making, could the two of them pick it up for him?

There was this fighting technique that he wanted to try out, would the two of them be willing to spar with him?

He had overused his powers today, could the two of them maybe carry those boxes into the storage?

He tried and tried, dropped subtle hints, used pheromones in the air to get the two of them to be more open, and requested Sanji to make healthy meals so he could prove to Zoro what a suitable mate he could be.

And one day the scent around the two had changed. Chopper patted himself on the back for a job well done.

The problem with Luffy's sadness was an entirely different thing. Chopper couldn't do anything to bring back his brother. Whenever Luffy seemed to feel sad Chopper made sure that someone was cheering him up. He would go cuddle with him or get Usopp to tell them another outrageous story to lift their spirits. He made up games and asked Franky to use his awesome robot powers.

Most of the time it did the trick, but it was never enough to make the sadness go away. He knew from his own experience with loss that the only real help in healing those wounds were love and time. He couldn't help with the passing of time but he would do everything in his power to provide Luffy with the love and support he needed to keep on smiling. After all it was the least he could do for his friend.

He noticed Luffy seemed happier when Law was around. That wasn't to say he was unhappy when they weren't traveling with the other captain but it was different. More like the scents he caught whenever Zoro and Sanji were spending time together.

Chopper was glad. He liked Law. It was nice to have someone around who understood the ins and outs of medicine and he was an excellent surgeon, an area where Chopper hadn't much experience up until now. He was able to learn a lot and teach Law a few things himself.

Even though he wasn't the greatest doctor yet, he was getting better and learning more every day. He was happy traveling with his friends and exploring the world.

There were moments where he doubted himself and his place in the crew, on the ship, moments that were filled with old voices calling him hames.

Monster. Freak. Animal. Pet.

But now Chopper knew better then to listen to these voices. He had accepted himself, every part of his past was a part of himself and made him stronger. So what if he was a monster or a freak? That only meant that he was strong and unique and he had the power to protect the things that were important to him.

There was no shame in being an animal. It simply was who he was and it gave him an advantage in helping others because he could sense things they couldn't.

There was no shame in being called a pet. Sure, he liked it the least because it implied he was owned by someone, but the people saying that didn't know what they were talking about.

Chopper was a reindeer and a human and a monster and a freak.

But the most important part was that he was a doctor and that he was proud and happy about being who he was. And no one could ever take that away from him.


	6. Day 16-18 || books || NamiVivi

Nami had always loved books. Not just the ones filled with maps or about cartography, but all kinds of them. Before she was going on jobs for Arlong and his crew they were her only way of escaping her painful and desolate reality. If she opened a book she could escape all that even if it was only for a short while.

Nowadays she didn't really have the time or the desire to read all that much anymore. Her life had become much more exciting and colorful as most of the books she had read as a child. But she still loved them. The fell in her hand, the texture of the leather and the pages, the smell. She felt comforted with books around. Even though she didn't read them anymore, sometimes just looking at them or touching their spines help calm her down. They were still her escape into other worlds, but nowadays they were more like meeting an old friend, comfort rather than an escape.

So when Vivi told her about the great library of Alabaster Nami simply had to see it. The crew was still recovering from their respective fights against the Baroque operatives so it was the perfect opportunity for the two women to sneak away for a bit.

Vivi gave her a full tour of the beautiful palace and the gardens. Nami was delighted to find out there was a whole grove of orange trees there, but after a bit of taste testing, both agreed the fruits were good but couldn't hold a candle to the ones from Bellemere's trees.

Finally, they arrived at the library doors. When Vivi opened the ornate double doors Nami's breath came to a sudden stop. There were rows upon rows of books. The shelves were reaching up to the ceiling, the highest ones only reachable with a ladder of considerable length.

Obviously the first stop was the section with the Maps of the kingdom. They spent hours talking about the different locations all over the country and Vivi told her about the places that she had already been to. From there they moved on to maps from different places and Vivi told her about all the places she had always wanted to visit.

Vivi also showed her the wheels under the ladders and the two of them used them to zoom across the library, shrieking and giggling like little girls all the while. At midday, they snuck into the kitchen and managed to steal a bit of food before their gluttonous teammates devoured everything.

They brought their finds back into the library and had an impromptu picnic between the shelves. Satisfied and their bellies full they laid on the ground and looked up at the painted fresco that decorated the ceiling. In a quiet voice, Vivi told her about how she had often done the same as a child, dreaming of grand adventures and heroic feats she would accomplish. She told her about her favorite novels, which became her portal into other worlds.

Nami could only stare at the beautiful princess who was lowering herself to lying next to a thief like her only because she wanted to. Her heart was beating fast and she couldn't have made the smile vanish from her face if she had wanted too. She reached out and interlaced their fingers while listening to Vivi talk.

"Sailing with you was like a dream come true," Vivi said with a wistful tone in her voice, her eyes far away on their shared memories.

"You know," Nami said. "You could keep on having adventures." Vivi's head turned towards her and their eyes met. Gently Nami placed a hand against her cheek.

"You could ditch being a princess and instead be a pirate and come with us." She gave Vivi a smile. "With me."

"We would make a pretty good team out there, huh?" Nami chuckled.

"The world wouldn't know what hit it." Both had to laugh at that, their hands still clasped tightly together as if afraid of letting go. When they had calmed down a bit it was Vivi who leaned over and pressed a shy kiss to Nami's lips.

"Or," she mumbled against her lips. "you could stay here with me."

"Oh?" Nami said. "Staying here? Being a princess or a noble lady, having servants fulfilling my every wish? Sounds like a dream."

"It doesn't have to be." They shared another tender kiss, Nami's thumb caressing Vivi's cheek.

They both knew those words were only fantasy. Vivi would never leave her people behind, not after how hard she fought to keep them safe. And Nami would never consider not being a part of Luffy's crew. She was a Strawhat and would be one until the day she died. But even though Vivi was a princess, she would always be a pirate and a Strawhat at heart. And who knew? Maybe one day there would be someone else that Vivi would feel comfortable with to lead this kingdom.

Maybe then they could be pirate queens together. Until that day came they still had their memories of their time together. And books. They would always have those to escape reality for a short while and dream of what could be.

But they still had time. Their ship wouldn't leave for another week, not until the marines got here and chased them away. They could still use their time together to create even more wonderful memories for their time apart.

The library became their own little world, filled with laughter and joy and littered with portals to other places and realities. They read together , sometimes aloud, sometimes not, but always together.

Their shoulders would be pressed together, leaning on each other for support and comfort. They were sad that they had to be parted, but they knew there was no other way. So they used their time together only for the happy things and didn't think about everything they couldn't change and instead focused on the things they could.

When the time to part came it was with both a crying and a laughing eye. It could be years until they saw each other again, but that didn't matter. The only thing that did was that both women were sure that they  _ would  _ be able to see each other again.

  
  



	7. Day 19-21 || lovers || Saboala

When he had heard someone say it for the first time Sabo had been furious.

"She's only in such a high position because she's the commander's lover." He had been ready to put the new recruits that had been whispering with each other in their place and then some. But Koala had forbidden him from doing anything.

"If you yell at them for that it'll just prove their point. I can take care of this myself."

"But you're not doing anything either!" he had protested weakly. He could never muster up the energy for anger when she held him like that.

"And I don't plan to." The hand in his hair tightened for a moment before returning to the soothing strokes from before. "I'll just keep on doing my work and that'll prove everything I need to."

"You're a spy, no one really knows what you do."

"I know." The smile on her face was mysterious and self-satisfied at the same time. "It's because I'm good at my job."

"I know that! I just want other people to know it too," he grumbled into her shoulder and tightened his arms around her waist.

"But if they knew," Koala said, lightly pinching his cheek. "then that would mean that I'm not good at my job. I'd rather be good at what I do and be an asset for the Revolutionary Army than be not underestimated by people whose opinions don't really matter to me."

He knew she was right. Of course she was. And it wasn't his place to try and defend her. She was more than capable of doing that herself. So the next few times he heard whispers like that he just gritted his teeth and continued on with his work.

He did have to laugh however when the recruits in question were suddenly running around naked because someone had stolen every single piece of clothing they owned while they were in the baths.

When he asked Koala about it she only smiled at him.

"What a strange coincidence," she said without looking up from her reports. "By the way, how far along are you with your paperwork?" He had used this moment to make a quick exit, her angered voice still yelling after him.

With time he learned to ignore those whispers and later on he even had to hold back his laughter. It was hilarious that those idiots tried to reduce someone amazing like Koala to being just Sabo's lover. There was nothing just about that woman at all. He knew about her history, about the hardships she had to suffer through and he knew how she had been forced to walk through fire on multiple occasions and had come out the other side stronger than before.

She was an inspiration to him and her own drive for change only helped in pushing him forward. She had been there for him when he had no memories and she had been a shoulder to cry on when he did. She supported him in everything he did even when she yelled at him about it. After everything she had been through she still managed to be such a cheerful and warm person and he admired and loved her for it.

So even though he knew she could handle herself he couldn't help wanting to support her too. So the next time he was watching the training exercise he may have mentioned in a casual voice that sparring with senior officers would be a good idea.

It was always a joy watching Koala beat the literal shit out people. Especially people who doubted her.

After that it was a very long time before anyone dared to say something about her again.


	8. Day 22-24 || food || Frobin

There was a reason why Franky chose Cola as fuel for his body. He could’ve chosen any carbonated drink really. But Cola was sweet and after modifying his body there were a few drawbacks that he hadn’t thought about before.

You see when he modified and turned himself into a cyborg he gave up a lot of things that one didn’t talk about in polite conversations. He had replaced his eyes with mechanical ones so they wouldn’t get hurt or could be used as a weakness. 

He had also worked around and in his mouth. The drawback to that was that he lost a big part of his ability to taste. Most things tasted the same to him now, only the texture being differentiated in his mouth. But the one thing he could still taste was sweet.

Of course, he still tried to eat a more even variety but he couldn’t help himself with indulging in sweet things now and again. For example, after a particularly bad day, he would treat himself to some chocolate just to taste something and bring a smile back to his face. 

He didn’t tell anyone about why he preferred sweet things. Most people just thought he had a particularly sweet tooth and didn’t question it. Franky preferred it that way. He stood behind his modifications and he wouldn’t change a thing but sometimes he simply wished.

Throughout the years’ food had become secondary to him. It was important to provide nutrients for the body but he didn’t get any enjoyment out of it. He enjoyed the company it brought but the eating itself wasn’t as important.

Except of course the one or other dessert.

Of course, now things were different to back in Water 7. Now he was traveling on the ship of his dreams with close friends where every day was an adventure and a party, filled with laughter, fun, and very good food. These days his regrets over not tasting were bigger than ever, especially looking at the mountains of food Sanji cooked every day.

Franky enjoyed all of it, but what he loved the most were the desserts.

He had never seen or tasted dessert quite like the ones Sanji made. They were like little clouds on your tongue. Franky loved them. He always took his time and made sure to savor them. He was sure if he asked he would get seconds but he didn’t want to draw attention to the fact that he preferred sweet things. It wasn’t that he was embarrassed, it was just something personal.

So he was surprised when one day after dinner Robin placed her untouched dessert in front of him.

“I simply can’t eat any more of this, as delicious as it is. Would you mind helping me with it, Franky?” He gave her a wide grin and a thumbs up.

“No problem, Robin! That’s suuuuuper nice of you to share!” She smiled at him before going back to her book. Franky thought this would be the last of it. But then it happened again.

And again.

And a few nights later he asked her about it. She simply shrugged.

“I noticed that you always give special attention to the sweet things Sanji cooks. I don’t really care for them myself, so I thought I could share them with you.” He was touched by her words.

“Awww, thanks, Robin! But you don’t need to do that. If I want more I can just ask for seconds.”

“But you’re not going to.” Taken aback he blinked down at her. “You’re very particular when it comes to your food. At first, I thought you were maybe a picky eater, but I don’t think that’s it. In the end, I decided that I don’t need to know. If you want to tell me that’s fine, but I won’t pry.” He wasn’t quite sure what he was supposed to say to that, but Robin was once again faster than he was.

“Take it as me appreciating your presence on this ship,” she said, still smiling her mysterious smile. “You helped me a lot in Enies Lobby, not just with your actions but with your words as well. I’m glad you decided to join us. I’m still learning how to properly express myself and my feelings, so this is can be us two helping each other out. What do you say?”

Franky didn’t know it at that time, but that was the first moment that his admiration and fond feelings for the woman in front of him started morphing into love.


	9. Day 25-27 || demon || ASL Brothers

“You’re a demon!” At hearing that Ace couldn’t help himself but flinch. How often had he heard that particular insult before? 

_ Demon Child. _

_ Abomination. _

_ Mistake. _

The child of Gold Roger was the target of many negative emotions. Hatred, fury, disgust. Whenever the topic came up in conversation Ace got furious. It wasn’t his fault who his father had been. He didn’t choose this! If he had a choice he wished that he would’ve never been born.

Angry, Ace turned towards the man who had been screaming to take out his fury on him but he stopped himself from attacking. His eyes widened in confusion when he realized the man hadn’t been talking to him. He was instead focused on Luffy who was running away from him, his arms full of bags of money, laughing maniacally.

“You’re a bunch of demons! Get them!” Another man behind him yelled, pointing a finger at Sabo who was covering Luffy’s back. He too was cackling like a madman.

“Ace! Come on, let’s get out of here!” Snapped out of his thoughts Ace started running after his brothers, the yells of ‘ _ Troublemakers! Demons! _ ’ still ringing out behind them. They kept on running until they reached the treeline behind the Grey Terminal. Only then did they stop, Luffy and Sabo collapsing to the ground, out of breath from running and laughing the whole time. Ace just stood off to the side, unsure of what to do. 

“Oh man, did you see their faces?” Sabo pressed out between gasping for breath and giggling. “They didn’t know what hit them!”

“Yeah!” Luffy agreed. “Especially when we really did hit them!”

“Yeah!” And both of them dissolved into laughter again. 

“Ace, why the long face?” Sabo asked when he had caught his breath again. “Look at the loot from today!”

“Oh,” Ace replied, still a bit shaken. “Yeah, that’s great.”

“WHat’S with you?”

“Didn’t you hear what they called us?” Sabo and Luffy both leaned their heads to the side.

“Huh?” they said in perfect unison.

“The insults they yelled after us!” Ace exclaimed, getting a bit flustered. Why weren’t they bothered by this?

“Oh, that!” his two brothers answered.

“No, not really,” Sabo said and shrugged. 

“Shishishi~ I kind of like it!” Luffy giggled. “Think about how cool it would be if we were really demons!”

“Luffy is already a devil!” Sabo chimed in.”Or at least you ate a devil’s fruit.”

“Yeah!”

“Why aren’t you bothered by this?!” Ace yelled out. His brothers looked at him, clearly taken aback by his outburst. With a strangely serious look on hisfaceSabo turned to him.

“There are worse things in the world than being a demon,” he said, the tone in his voice oddly somber. “And if it means that I can be together with you two I’ll take being a Demon every day till the rest of my life.”

“Yeah! As long as we’re together I don’t care what people say to me! I only care about you two! And Shanks!” Luffy agreed. He raised his fists in the air and laughed in joy.

“Shut up!” Ace said, feeling his face heating up.”You two are horrible sappy. Let’s get back and hide the treasure.” He started walking and ignored his snickering brother’s behind him. The voices in his head were still loud, the ringing of  _ ‘Demon’  _ not letting up yet. 

But with the laughter of his brother’s in his ears and their warmth at his back it was a little easier to ignore them.


End file.
